


Lance and the case of the mysterious suitor

by crystalklances



Series: Klance and the case of the mysterious... [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Light Angst, M/M, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Oblivious Lance (Voltron), Secret Admirer, Smitten Keith (Voltron), Soft Keith (Voltron), Soft Keith/Lance (Voltron), Valentine's Day, With A Twist, it's Lance's POV but it's THERE
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-18 00:33:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13670562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalklances/pseuds/crystalklances
Summary: “What the heck?” he mumbled. “Who would send me a note like that?!”“A suitor?” Keith suggested. His demeanor was oddly casual, which didn’t help with Lance’s confusion. “I mean, it’s signed with Secret Valentine.”“But it doesn’t make anysense!” Lance threw his arms up. The envelope and note were now in his lap. “I have a boyfriend! Everyone knows this!”----Or, 5 times Lance is confused by the notes from a secret admirer, and the time he finds out who it is





	Lance and the case of the mysterious suitor

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Valentine's Day! I had to write some Klance for the occasion, like I did last year. I had the idea spontaneously, while I was on the bus home earlier today. And I thought it would be just perfect to write a continuation for _Keith and the case of the mysterious boyfriend_. I still can't believe so many of you guys loved that one, so I guess this is also in parts to express my gratitude for all the support.  
>  If you're new to my fics or never read that one before, it's not completely necessary to read to enjoy this one.
> 
> I spent all afternoon and evening writing this, powering through despite difficulties and being tired. I was determined to finish and post it right around midnight. It's now about 12:30am and I'm up way longer than I should for the third day in a row, ooops.
> 
> Anyway, I had fun writing this, so I hope you all like it!

1)

The first time Lance found one of the notes, he thought it was funny, in the confusing way.

He and Keith had just returned home to their shared apartment. They were taking off their jackets and shoes in the hallway, though like so often, Lance snagged Keith’s varsity jacket right out of his hands to wear it even now when they were at home (he especially loved doing this after Keith had told him he loved having Lance’s scent on his clothes). That’s when he spotted it—a small envelope sticking out of the pocket of his jacket. Lance stopped in his tracks, arms half into the sleeves of Keith’s jacket.

“Huh?”

At his small outburst of confusion, Keith looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Something wrong?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t, I don’t remember having an envelope in my pocket,” Lance replied, slowly, confusion plain in his voice. He finally finished slipping into Keith’s jacket so he could take the envelope. It was plain, with scrawly writing in deep purple on the front. “It’s addressed for me… this is weird. How did it get there?”

“Maybe someone put it there?” Keith supplied.

He started walking into the living room. Something was off about his tone, but Lance couldn’t place what it was right now. He followed behind and sat down on the couch next to Keith. They usually sat down for a bit after getting home from uni, before Lance would start on dinner.

“But _how_? And _why_?”

“I don’t know. Why don’t you open it?”

Lance huffed, but carefully opened the envelope. Inside, there was a folded slip of paper. He pulled it out and unfolded it so he could see what was written on the letter. He gaped down at the paper as he read it.

 _Roses are red,_  
_Violets are blue,_  
_Dear Valentine,_  
_I wanna make purple with you._  
_—Sincerely, your Secret Valentine_

“What the heck?” he mumbled. “That’s uh, wow. First of all, I’m a little mad _I_ didn’t think of a line like this. And it’s so _suggestive_! Who would send me a note like that?!”

“A suitor?” Keith suggested. His demeanor was oddly casual, which didn’t help with Lance’s confusion. “I mean, it’s signed with Secret Valentine.”

“But it doesn’t make any _sense_!” Lance threw his arms up. The envelope and note were now in his lap. “I have a boyfriend! Everyone knows this!”

“Maybe not everyone does?” Keith said slowly. “I mean, _I_ didn’t know I was your boyfriend until a couple of months ago, and I _am_ your boyfriend.”

“Yeah, and I _still_ can’t believe you didn’t realize for _seven months_!” Lance huffed. He pouted at Keith. “Speaking of, you know it’s our first anniversary coming up, right? I told you I’m not resetting the counter just because you didn’t get the memo last year.”

“I know. I remember. Who do you take me for?”

“Just making sure.”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I have something planned.”

“Oh?” Lance perked up. “A date? A present? What’s it gonna be?”

Keith shook his head and said, “I’m not gonna tell you.”

“So it’s a surprise?” He let his head fall against his boyfriend’s shoulder. “Oh, I can’t wait! I’m dying from suspense already.”

Keith chuckled. He took Lance’s hand and squeezed it. Lance squeezed back.

“No dying on my watch,” Keith murmured into Lance’s ear. “You’ll make me have to revive you.”

“How about you tide me over with a kiss?” Lance suggested playfully.

He pulled away to look right at Keith’s face and puckered his lips in an exaggerated kissy-face, knowing that it would always make Keith laugh. He was right; Keith shook his head, but his eyes crinkled in an amused, fond smile as he laughed under his breath. Lance had a hard time holding his expression, with the grin that wanted to break out on his own face.

“I guess I can do that,” Keith eventually said.

He cupped Lance’s cheek and gazed into Lance’s eyes for a second or two. His lips were still wide with a smile. Finally, he leaned in to kiss Lance softly. Lance’s arms came up to wrap around Keith’s neck. He smiled against Keith’s lips.

The mysterious note slipped to the floor, now lying forgotten underneath the coffee table.

 

2)

The next time it happened, Lance was just as confused.

He walked to the library, where he was meeting up with Hunk and Pidge. They had a group assignment for astronomy, and because they still needed to work with new reading material, the library was the most convenient place. Of course, there was also its excellent working environment and the spacious tables leaving enough room to spread your notes far and wide. Lance had been a bit disappointed at first that he didn’t get to work together with Keith— who was paired up with Allura and, of all people, Lotor—, but Hunk and Pidge were two of his best friends, so it was all cool.

Lance nuzzled his face into the collar of the dark red hoodie he had stolen from Keith. It smelled like the detergent they used for laundry, and Keith’s tangy 2-in-1 body wash. Soon, it would mix with the fruity scent of Lance’s lotion.

He spotted the table where Pidge and Hunk had already put down their bags and walked over to sit down in a chair facing the window, the door in his back. A couple of tables away, Allura was sitting on her own, pouting down at the stash of books and other material in front of her that she had to start sorting through on her own. It wasn’t that Keith and Lotor intentionally left her to her own devices; as the team captain and a key player, respectively, they were just busy with practice for the upcoming game, so there were conflicts in their schedule. Lance knew that Allura would make sure they would do their part of the work.

Hunk and Pidge came to join him with the additional books they had gathered for their research. Lance pulled his materials out of his bag. When he spread them out, he furrowed his brow.

There, in the middle of his notes, was a small, plain envelope addressed to him, just like the other day.

“What the heck?” he mumbled.

Hunk and Pidge looked up at him in confusion. Lance ignored them and picked up the envelope so he could open it. He was too curious to wait until later.

Like the first time, there was a slip of paper. He unfolded it.

 _Dear Valentine,_  
_You light up my fire._  
_—Love, your Secret Valentine_

He stared down at the cheesy note in indigo ink. Something about the writing was awfully familiar, but it was somehow distorted, making it hard to discern where he had seen it before.

Across from him, Hunk was eyeing the note, his fingers twitching in a grabby-hand motion. He had always been all up for the newest gossip. Together with Allura, he was unstoppable.

Knowing that he couldn’t keep it a secret anyway, Lance answered the unspoken question. “Someone sending me a Valentine’s note, nearly two weeks in advance. This is the second one already. I have no idea who, or how, or _why_.”

“Maybe a shy suitor?” Hunk supplied.

“Keith had a theory like that, too. But it doesn’t make any sense!” Lance threw his arms up with a huff. “I have a _boyfriend_! Everyone on campus knows this. Why would anyone bother sending love letters to a guy who’s happily taken? It doesn’t make _any sense_!”

Somewhere behind him, the librarian made a shushing noise. Lance suppressed a groan and buried his face in his arms on the surface of the table.

“Maybe the person has a good reason for doing this,” Pidge said. “Anyway, we should get started.”

Lance sighed and sat up straight again.

“You’re right.” He took the letter and stored it back in the envelope, then put it somewhere deep down in his bag. “Let’s get this party started.”

He tried his best to focus on the project, but his mind wouldn’t stop wandering back to the mystery of _how_ the note got into his bag, or _who_ would send it.

 

3)

A couple of days passed without a new note. Lance never stopped puzzling about it.

When he had showed the second note to Keith later at home, Keith had reacted in amusement. That didn’t help with Lance’s confusion at all. Something was _off_ about Keith’s behavior, Lance just couldn’t tell _what_ exactly or _why_. Keith was the same as always, ready to hug and kiss Lance whenever either of them liked to; the same fond, tender smile on his lips that warmed Lance from head to toe, all the way to his fingertips and his very core because he felt so _loved_. And yet, in the recent week, Keith was secretive while not being _thorough_ about it, as if he was leaving crumb trails for Lance, waiting for him to follow. But Lance was somehow too confounded to figure out where the crumbs lead him to.

He walked into the physics class he shared with Keith. When they reached their seats, waiting on Lance’s table was—a small, plain envelope with his name in lilac ink. Lance inhaled through his nose as he sat down. Next to him, Keith looked at the envelope in interest.

“Why don’t you open it?” he prompted. “Let’s see what they came up this time.”

“Fine,” Lance mumbled under his breath.

Like before, he opened the envelope and folded open the note.

 _Dear Valentine,_  
_You really activate my particle barrier._  
_—Your Secret Valentine_

Lance stared down at it with wide eyes.

“Oh my god,” he breathed out, stuck somewhere between embarrassment, awe, and horror. This was something that _he_ would use, and it was definitely suggestive.

“They really mean business, huh?” Keith commented, leaning in over Lance’s shoulder.

“They’re only setting themselves up for heartbreak.” Lance stored the note away. “Like hell am I gonna break up with you just because some random whoever thinks they’re so smooth sending me secret notes. I’d rather take a bullet.”

“Love you, too, sweetheart.”

A smile pulled at the corner of Lance’s lips, despite the mix of confusion and frustration. He reached for Keith’s hand underneath the table. Keith immediately linked their fingers. Lance would’ve loved nothing more than to lean in and kiss him, but their professor walked in right then. Well, Lance would just have to wait till after the lecture.

With the lecture starting and Keith gently stroking his knuckles with his thumb like he always loved to do when they held hands, Lance was almost able to forget about the mysterious notes. Almost. They still came back to haunt his mind.

 

4)

Lance had now reached the point where he couldn’t go anywhere without expecting to find a familiar envelope with his name written in a shade of purple ink. But again, a couple of days passed without finding a mysterious note. The next time it happened, he didn’t stumble over it by surprise.

No, it was handed to him, quite literally.

Lance stared up into Lotor’s face, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

Lotor just gave him a bored look as he drawled, “From your Secret Valentine.”

“Oh. Uh, thanks?”

Lance blinked, unsure if he wanted to open the envelope right there. But Lotor didn’t make any move to leave, and his own curiosity won over, so Lance pulled out the note. He folded it open.

 _Valentine,_  
_Your love shot me to the heart like Amor’s arrow._  
_—Your Secret Valentine_

“That’s… kind of really sweet,” Lance mumbled.

“I was there when he wrote it,” Lotor commented. “He’s really head over heels for you.”

Something tugged at Lance’s heart, nearly causing him to physically flinch.

Sometimes, in his musings, Lance had wondered if it might’ve all just been a prank, someone making a joke of sending love letters to Lance, of all people, lord knows why. But hearing this, hearing that someone was out there, some poor guy who had fallen for him… Lance felt guilty. He _couldn’t_ reciprocate, because he was in love with Keith, had been happy with him for a year now, had loved him for much longer than that. His feelings were so strong, he wouldn’t ever let go of them, not for anyone. He wouldn’t trade Keith for the world.

Lance wanted to say something, felt like he _should_ say something, but he couldn’t. His tongue felt heavy like lead. Words failed him. All he could do was stare helplessly, feeling crestfallen, and probably looking like a drowned rat.

Lotor gave him a look that Lance couldn’t read, and patted his shoulder.

“Well, it’s time for me to head off to practice,” Lotor said. “Should I say hi to your boyfriend?”

Lance finally snapped out of his stupor. He felt like he could move again. He shook off Lotor’s hand, and put the note away. Later, it would join the others in the depths of his pile of various reminders and notes.

“There’s no need to tell him hi,” he said. “Keith knows that I’m coming to watch.”

Lotor just shrugged in response and took off. Lance followed in the same direction, but much slower.

Usually, Lance loved watching the team practice, loved watching _Keith_ play. But ever since Lotor’s remark, Lance couldn’t shake away the heavy feeling in his chest, no matter how hard he tried. It stayed for the rest of the day. When Keith met him after practice, eyebrows creased in worry, Lance smiled and said everything was alright.

Later that night, when they laid down for sleep, Keith kissed him goodnight, looking at him like he was the world, the same way he always did. Lance had to choke back tears. When Keith hugged him, Lance held on tightly, burying his face in the crook of Keith’s neck, inhaling his scent in deep breaths to keep himself grounded.

He would never let go of Keith, even if he had to break someone else’s heart.

 

5)

The final note arrived the day before Valentine’s Day. It literally arrived at Lance’s door step.

Lance blinked at the delivery girl in confusion when he opened the apartment door.

“Hey!” the delivery girl said with a cheery smile. “I have flowers for Lance!”

“Uh, that’s me. I’m Lance,” Lance said dumbly.

The girl just beamed at him as she handed him a small bouquet. Lance watched, dumbfounded, as she left with a spring in her step. Finally, he stepped back inside and leaned against the closed door.

He took a look at the bouquet.

 _Forget Me Nots_.

There was a small envelope, tucked carefully between the blossoms. Lance pulled it out and opened it, simultaneously knowing and not knowing what to expect.

 _Dear Valentine,_  
_I have to see you, face to face. Meet me by the bleachers at 2pm tomorrow._  
_—Love, your Secret Valentine_

This was it. Tomorrow, Lance would have to break the poor guy’s heart. There was no way around this, whether he went to the agreed meeting place or not. He was going to spend the entire time, starting from late afternoon through the night, with Keith—even though Lance _still_ had no idea what his boyfriend had planned—, but the requested time was when they were both still on campus, so there was no excuse not to go, either. He was even going to be near the location, as he was going to watch Keith practice.

It was weird, how it almost seemed too convenient, picking a location like that for a confession.

Keith’s head poked into the hallway from the living room. “Everything okay?” he asked.

Lance just looked at him, gesturing with the flowers and the note still in his hands. Keith stepped out into the hallway. Lance finally moved away from the front door, meeting him in the middle.

Keith took the note from Lance. He gave it just a passing glance before he handed it back, then looked at the flowers. “Forget Me Not, huh? Amazing taste. I always thought those look beautiful on you.”

A surprised smile sneaked onto Lance’s face. “I never heard that one before.”

“No? Huh. Guess I forgot to mention it.”

Lance breathed out a laugh and playfully bumped Keith’s shoulder as he passed by. No matter what, he had to put the flowers into a vase. He put the vase on their small dining table, put the note next to it, then sat down on the sofa. He hugged his knees.

Keith sat down next to him and pulled an arm around him.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

“Everything’s alright, yeah?”

Lance hummed. He leaned into Keith’s touch.

The puzzle pieces were falling into place, but at the same time, the image was too hazy to see the solution.

Lance was looking forward to and anxious about tomorrow at the same time.

 

+1)

Lance was early at the meeting point. He had been so nervous that he couldn’t draw it out. He had no idea who he was waiting for, what to expect. He was hugging his arms, his mind going over various ways for how to reject people. Lance knew what it was like to be on the receiving end; it was a very different feeling to have to do it yourself. He could only recall having to do it once, before, a year ago, when a girl from one of his classes had confessed to him after Valentine’s day. At that time, Lance had yet to trumpet out his new relationship with Keith, so the circumstances had been different.

He looked at the time. He leaned his back against the wall, hands in his pockets now, and closed his eyes with a sigh.

He didn’t know how much time passed like this. Eventually, there were footsteps approaching. Lance opened his eyes—and looked right at Keith, who was holding a huge bouquet of red roses and smiling. Lance gaped in surprise.

“Hey,” Keith murmured. He stepped in front of Lance, holding out the flowers. “Happy anniversary, babe.”

“Keith, what—?” Lance blinked, all the more confused as he took the flowers from his boyfriend. “What are you doing here?”

“That’s an odd greeting,” Keith said, amused. “I’m here for the meeting, like I told you.”

“W-what?”

“I’m your Secret Valentine, Lance.”

“You—what?” Lance had to open and close his mouth a couple of times, at a loss for words. “That was _you_? _You_ wrote those notes and ordered the flowers??”

“Yeah. You didn’t figure it out? I thought it was obvious. I mean, come on, using the kinds of lines you’d pull because I know all about them? The notes just appearing where you are because I know where you’d be next? One of my teammates handing it over, flowers delivered to our door?” He paused. “And, you know I’m not the best at lying.”

“Oh my god.” Lance shook his head and took a shaky breath. “I was so ready to deliver a rejection speech, but now I find out my mysterious suitor was _my boyfriend_ all along?! What were you trying to accomplish here?”

“Huh?”

“I mean… why did you do that?”

Now it was Keith who looked confused. He replied, “I, I’m making up for how I didn’t notice we were dating for seven months. I thought doing this kind of thing was a great idea, because they’re doing it in the movies all the time, aren’t they? I’ve been planning it out for a while.”

“O-oh.”

“I didn’t, I really didn’t think you didn’t catch on. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s, it’s okay.” Lance let out a shaky laugh, trying to dispel the awkward air. “We really are a pair of clueless idiots, huh?”

Keith breathed a laugh as well. “But at least we’re together, right? We can be clueless idiots together.”

“Yeah. Together.”

Keith leaned in to kiss the corner of Lance’s lips. Voice soft, he repeated, “Happy anniversary, sweetheart.”

“Happy anniversary, darling.”

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/crystalklances), [tumblr](https://crystalklances.tumblr.com) and [instagram](https://instagram.com/crystalklances) where you can find out about different ways you can support me!


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